Engaging Youth in ACS CAN’s Days at the Capitol

Last week, Pennsylvania held its Day at the Capitol (DatC) where advocates from across the state came together to ask their lawmakers to make cancer a legislative priority. But the makeup of our volunteers in Pennsylvania this year skewed a bit younger than volunteer groups in years past. And it’s a trend we’re seeing in states across the country including Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Ohio. Younger volunteers are getting involved with ACS CAN in greater numbers and many other states are now working on recruiting and encouraging young people to join their advocacy efforts as well. 

What spurred the students in Pennsylvania to get involved? After losing a teacher to cancer nine years ago, students from Daniel Boone High School in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania reached out to the American Cancer Society, looking for ways to honor her. They ended up starting a Relay For Life at the school. The experience was rewarding, but the students wanted to find additional ways to engage – which led them to ACS CAN. They believe that they are the next generation that will be affected by cancer and that their voice is often underrepresented.  

Quincey Johnston, a junior at Daniel Boone High School, jumped at the opportunity to attend Pennsylvania’s DatC this year. As someone who has always been interested in government proceedings, as well as maintaining an active role as a member of the cancer community, she was thrilled at the prospect of making a difference at an even higher level. Having her voice heard by state House and Senate representatives was a huge deal, as it previously seemed unattainable to her. Her passion for cancer advocacy stems from a history of cancer in her family including her grandmother (a breast cancer survivor), both grandfathers (melanoma survivor and lung cancer patient, respectively) and her best friend (childhood brain cancer survivor). Johnston said she will continue to advocate for those who can’t and will encourage her peers to get involved as well.

The students from Daniel Boone High School believe that we need to make advocacy more accessible for our youth and less like a chore. They said that before they got involved, advocacy seemed like a big scary thing that only adults had to focus on. One of their ideas to attract other volunteers their age is to incorporate advocacy activities through the school like theirs does so it is easier for students to participate.  It’s an idea we’re interested in pursuing and would love to hear from other middle and high school volunteers about ways they’d like to get involved.

When our youth decide to share their passion and stories with legislators, they truly can have big impact.